Stakeout
by convenientdistraction
Summary: Emma and Terri have some fun. One shot.


"You deserve better than him, you know," she offered as she let up off the gas a little, letting gravity pull her car slowly down the sloped street as they both squinted at mailbox numbers under the yellow glare of the streetlights. "I've always thought that."

"Thanks," Emma mumbled, unconvinced. Her eyes darted back and forth between the row of small, crumbling houses and the green post-it where she had scribbled down the address she sneaked through the staff personnel files to find.

"Um, hello? This is the part where you tell me that I deserve better too."

"It is?" she teased, cracking a small smile as she absentmindedly popped open Terri's glove compartment. "Why do you have a million popsicle sticks in here?"

"Why do you have a million toothbrushes in yours?"

Emma raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

"Honey, your mailman could probably have guessed that."

"Whatever. This is definitely weirder."

"Seriously? You really want to play that game? Because you will-"

"Shh, I think this is it." The car rolled to a stop in front of a small white house with chipped shutters hanging quite askew. A strange gold Hindu-looking statue stood guard on the front stoop.

"Damn, I knew substitutes didn't make a lot of money. But this is like crack-house equivalent. Maybe she sells drugs to pay for her shoes."

"Well at least she doesn't just hand them out for free to teenagers like some people."

"Do you want to do this or not?" Terri groaned.

"Honestly? I don't know anymore." She squeezed her hands together nervously as she eyed Will's car ahead of them on the street. Until the sudden flicking on of a light in a side window caught her attention. "What do you think they're doing in there?"

Terri laughed as she turned off the ignition. "I don't need a visual okay? Let's not think about that...and why are you wearing pink? Dark colors sweetheart."

Emma pursed her lips as she looked down at her dress. "Well, I've never dressed for this sort of thing before. I'm sorry I'm not stealth enough for you and your stupid nighttime sunglasses. Seriously. Who wears sunglasses at night?" She clicked loose her seat belt as Terri lowered the car windows. They both leaned forward in the direction of Emma's window as the sound of a low musical thumping wafted its way from the house and into the car.

"What's that noise?"

"It's sex music."

"Oh."

"He never tried that with you?"

"No, um...we never got that far."

"Oh."

"Did you? I mean-did you...a lot?"

"No. He had no idea what he was doing. So I just started gluing things together instead."

"Oh."

"I'll give them a week tops and she'll have gotten tired of trying to teach him anything."

She thought for a second. "Well how do you know it's supposed to be better?"

Terri lowered her sunglasses to eye her in confusion. "What?"

"If you've never been with anyone else. How did you know it was bad?"

"Oh honey. It just _was._"

"Maybe they're all bad. And that's the secret nobody tells us."

She grinned a little at her passenger's naivety. "Maybe."

The flicker of a light in the front window caused them to shoot down in their seats. Emma noticed that the music had stopped abruptly as well.

"Do you think they saw us?"

"Probably. Your crazy hair's the equivalent of shooting off a flare gun."

"Shut up Terri."

"Are you sure you still want to do this?"

"Maybe not," Emma considered, scooting up a little to peek out her window. She held her breath, waiting for the front door to open and expose their immaturity. Instead, the front light went black and Neil Diamond's voice begin to blare out of an open window. Her eyes widened in recognition at the familiar song.

"Oh, you have got to be _fucking_ kidding me."

Emma clutched her stomach, not sure whether she was suddenly doubling over with laughter from Terri's reaction or the absurdity of the whole situation.

"You think he'd learn a new move by now," Terri grinned, pushing a button on her side door to pop open her trunk. "You still in?"

Emma nodded, reaching over to slide the sunglasses off of Terri's nose and put them on her own. "Let's do this."

* * *

><p>The next day at school, Emma was sorting out her Tupperware on the table as Will lumbered into the lunch room.<p>

"Hey, I've been looking for you," he smiled weakly as he took the seat across from her. "Thanks for covering my first period this morning."

"No problem. Were you sick or something?"

"Not exactly," he frowned, rubbing his eyes with his free hand as he pulled the contents out of his lunch bag. "I got stuck over at Holly's. Some jackass kids saran-wrapped my car to the telephone pole."

She nodded solemnly, keeping her gaze locked down on her carrots as she bit her lip. "Oh god, that's really horrible Will. So how _are_ things with Holly?"

"Not so great...I just don't think she's the one."

"Yeah, well, that's how it goes."

"Yeah, I guess. Say, Em? I was sort of wondering...would you like to have dinner or something with me this weekend?"

"Oh gosh, Will. I totally would, but I have plans."

"Plans?" he parroted in disbelief. "Plans with who?"

She smiled a little, popping shut a container with the palm of her hand. "Plans with somebody who deserves better."


End file.
